We deserted Devon in mid-February for a 70th birthday celebration in a cottage at RSPB Arne in Dorset. The weather was marvellous and we saw many of the species for which this reserve is renowned: Spoonbills, Dartford Warblers, Goldcrests, 
Firecrests, Sika Deer, the strange woolly coated Mangalica pigs and a few thousand over-wintering Avocets. Returning via Weymouth we met up with our co-grandparents. Here there are two urban bird reserves, Radipole and Lodmore, 
and quite unlike most RSPB reserves, you can actually get close to the birds. We quickly tracked down a Ring-necked Duck, a rare North American
migrant, at Radipole, then relocating to Lodmore brought an immediate sighting of a Eurasian Penduline Tit and shortly afterwards 
another rare North/Central American migrant, a Lesser Yellowlegs. Three incredibly rare UK birds all in the space of a couple of hours! There were also excellent views of Ruff, 
Snipe and Mediterranean Gulls.
The glorious sunny weather at the end of February had an immediate effect on the wildlife: the frogs mated and produced masses of spawn, birds put on mating displays, our Long-tailed Tits started to nest build, a pair of Tawny Owls called, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker began drumming and a pair of Nuthatches appeared. Is it possible they will 
take over the woodpecker’s nest from last year? Mary Whiting was delighted to tell me that a beautiful Bullfinch put in an appearance in her garden, although she feared for her blossoms. An exultation of Skylarks sang over the field opposite and Redwings and Fieldfares clouded the skies preparing to return to Scandinavia for the summer.
More importantly for us, Friday 22 February was a huge red letter day. We saw the arrival of about 80,000 grandchildren, as our daughter Wendy refers to them, two hives full of bees. She and her husband Joe have moved to the village, but do not have room for them in their new garden. The bees arrived early on a cool, grey day and settled in very quickly. By day 2 the sun shone and there was a steady stream of bees doing their orientation flights, spiralling upwards in ever increasing circles.
By day 3 foraging parties were setting off to explore and returning with nectar and within a week the workers were bringing back large amounts of pollen – a good sign that the queens are alive and well and egg laying. This really is a very exciting time for us all.
Paul Lister (841696)
